Portland Thorns fall to Washington Spirit in a contested match

The duel between Sophia Wilson’s  (née Smith) Portland Thorns and Trinity Rodman’s Washington Spirit went to the visitors in a hard-fought match. Both players were key in their team’s goals. Wilson scored from the penalty spot after referee Cristian Campo ruled a penalty after a challenge on Reilyn Turner. Rodman served the assist for the winning goal by Mélissa Beth in minute 80.

The first half was clearly in Portland’s favor, and Thorns were unlucky to go to the break with a bigger difference. In the second half, control of the game shifted to Washington, after Portland nearly doubled their advantage when Pietra Tordin hit the post in the initial minutes. The key moment in the run of the game came in the 59th minute, when the head referee ruled a penalty for the visitors after a VAR review. Forward Tara Rudd didn’t waste the chance and got the equalizer.

From there, the game became a back-and-forth, with neither team settling for a point. Only a win would work for the playoff math, which led to hard-fought competition and many scoring chances on both sides. In minute 67, the ire of players and fans became deafening when Cristian Campo, match referee, refused to review a handball in the Washington Spirit box. He would later eject Spirit’s Andi Sullivan in stoppage time. The ref was heavily questioned during the match, giving both teams reasons for criticism. He walked off the pitch with the stadium unified in a solid boo.

In the end, the Washington Spirit persevered through attrition, and while Portland had chances to equalize, the visitors could also have extended their lead. This victory, with seven games left and 21 points in dispute, is starting to shape the race between last year’s champion Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit.

This was a battle that could have broken either way. A high-stakes match between two aspiring teams vying to reach the big final on November 21st at Audi Field, also the home of the Washington Spirit, and it could easily be a postseason match-up; both technical staffs will keep many pages of notes in case they find each other in the race for the final.

But for now, they will be pleased to lower the stakes, as each team will be playing at home against two of the weakest teams this season. Thorns will host the Chicago Stars on Sunday, while the Spirit will be back in DC to play Boston Legacy. Boston, one of the two expansion teams alongside Denver Summit, sits 14th in the table with 22 points, 6-5-12, while Chicago is dead last in 16th with just 16 points and a 5-1-17 record.

In contrast, Washington Spirit is currently the league’s runner-up with 43 points,13-4-6, just two points shy from the leader and current champion, Gotham FC, while Portland Thorns are sixth with 38 points and a 11-5-7 record.

There is just an 8-point spread between the top 7 teams; the race for the shield is still far from just a two-team affair, or just a Gotham FC exhibition, and the last straightaway in this race might still give us the best NWSL competition yet in this 2026 season.

Image Gallery photos by Diego G Diaz.

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